The Queens breakfast

A former Buckingham Palace chef has opened up about some of the royal family’s eating habits- and revealed what the queen eats for breakfast.

Darren McGrady worked in the Buckingham Palace kitchen for 11 years and described the Queen's eating habits, he told Marie Claire: "Breakfast was very simple for Her Majesty. Some Kellogg's cereal from a plastic container, which she'd serve herself. And some Darjeeling tea."

He also revealed how dark chocolate was the monarch's "favourite" - but said she could not stand to have garlic in her meals because she 'hated the smell of it', as well as the taste.

While most would imagine that the Queen always eats off the finest crockery, the chef said that she would occasionally eat from a "plastic yellow Tupperware container."

McGrady, who now runs his own catering company, has previously revealed how the Queen would be presented with a "menu book", which was sent to her two or three times a week for the coming days.

Speaking in an interview with FEMAIL, he said: "The menu book was sent up to her and she'd put a line through the ones she didn't want."

Explaining how the monarch played an even bigger parts in state banquets, he said: "She'd oversee the full menu, choose what she wanted - do we have enough pheasant, grouse, partridge?

"She loved food from the estate and to see her own produce on the menu."

He added: "She loved the hosting side of the event. Garden parties were huge we'd have to do so much food, scones and pastries, ice cream made fresh."The monarch rarely eats at restaurants but earlier this year enjoyed dinner at The Ivy for a friend's birthday.

This article was first published at nzherald.co.nz and was republished here with permission